Despite improvements in some river catchments, the scorecard for Moreton Bay showed the environmental health of the bay had worsened over the past year.

Professor Olley, a member of the Australian Rivers Institute and the Healthy Waterways Scientific Panel, said the health of central bay declined from an A-minus to a C-plus over 12 months, while Bramble Bay, near Redcliffe, dropped from a D grade to a fail grade of F.

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"We are killing the bay, yes. It's a big statement to make, but yes, we are slowly killing the bay," he said.

Professor Olley said Moreton Bay would switch from a "seagrass environment" to an "algal environment", with a completely changed marine ecosystem in 20 years if nothing changed.

"Last year I reported that we were surprised as a group of scientists that the seagrass beds and the corals appeared to have improved slightly," he said.

"Well this year I am sorry to report that the seagrass beds and the corals are now showing signs of stress and decline and it is happening because of the large amounts of material that is being delivered to the bay from the catchments.

"We should be concerned about it."

Brisbane City Council is about to start pollution filtration trials in Oxley, Kedron, Norman and Toowong creeks.

But Professor Olley said more needed to be done.

He said he was concerned with mud flowing downstream from the Lockyer Valley as well as coming from constructions sites around Brisbane into Moreton Bay.

Mud is now flowing out to Moreton Bay 10 times as fast as it did before Europeans settled in the region 120 years ago.

"We need to put in place ways of improving the water quality coming out of the stormwater system and monitoring what is coming off construction sites," he said.

Environment Minister Andrew Powell said he was concerned about farmer's topsoil from the Lockyer Valley ending up in Moreton Bay.

Mr Powell also said the Queensland government would fund work by Healthy Waterways to tighten compliance by construction crews to halt soil being eroded from building sites.

"One of the things the government is committing to to providing funding to Healthy Waterways to work with councils around compliance," Mr Powell said, adding some developers were being innovative in controlling erosion.

43 comments

Despite what they may say to the contrary, this Government does not care. They keep proving it every day of the week. This Government needs to be voted out at the next election

Commenter

Michael Loane

Location

Ashgrove

Date and time

October 24, 2013, 6:31AM

Have to agree. Very sad times. I just don't understand how people couldn't see this was going to happen. They all voted for this. It is now time to eat those fruits and cakes.

Commenter

The Other Guy1

Date and time

October 24, 2013, 8:37AM

No need for concern. Once CN gets these bikers sorted out, everything will be fine.

Commenter

rollo

Date and time

October 24, 2013, 8:42AM

Get the bikies get the bikies get the bikies get the bikies then all will be OK.

Commenter

PeterH

Location

Burleigh Heads

Date and time

October 24, 2013, 10:29AM

Perhaps we should stop having cyclones and flooding.

Commenter

Oscar

Date and time

October 24, 2013, 11:45AM

And replaced with the government that was in power during the time the report covers? Perhaps you should look at the report.

Commenter

Oscar

Date and time

October 24, 2013, 1:04PM

@Oscar -- so was the damage causes by natural disasters or the ALP? Make your mind up!

Commenter

GuybrushThreepwood

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

October 24, 2013, 2:04PM

I'm saying that the argument that the water quality of Moreton Bay is not the fault of the current government according to a report that covers the fact that the deterioration had occurred primarily after 2 major cyclones and subsequent flooding. The argument that it is the Newman governments fault is false. Perhaps you should also read the report.

Commenter

Oscar

Date and time

October 24, 2013, 2:31PM

Actually it is Oscar who is misrepresenting the facts. The report specifies this year, 2013, as the year of assessment. Trying to blame the Bligh government is just dishonest. The report also specifies the problem of the runoff from construction sites and the problem of the washing away of topsoil from farms in the Lockyer Valley. If work was done to rehabilitate the waterways and to preserve soils at the site of the erosion then these problems could be avoided. This requires money to be spent and I don't see any solutions to these problems coming from the Newman government. Only stupid nonsense about bikies and the justice system. I notice that Oscar has made many comments about the wonders of the Newman government which look just like the work of a grateful political employee. Why bother? No one believes him.

Commenter

Gabrielle of Brisbane

Date and time

October 25, 2013, 1:13AM

So Oscar the deterioration has been in the last 12 months due to development waste going into the river . That sounds like Newman's term and his drive to develop any spare space. And if you do blame weather, you need to include global warming as a contributor, and we all know the LNPs stance on that.